Corners of the Mind
by DrkKni
Summary: Hinata does something horrible and ends up in he Konoha mental hospital, where she meets Konoha's most horrible secret.
1. Prologue: Commitment

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Prologue: Commitment

Hyūga Hinata snuck through the halls of the Hyūga manor, her byakugan activated to detect any signs of movement, quickly hiding from patrols, slipping into blind spots of those who had their own bloodline activated. Moving silently and quickly, thanks to thirteen years of training since she could walk, she stopped in front of a sliding door, slipping a kunai from her training uniform. She did a quick scan of her surroundings, and slid the door open before slipping inside.

She slowly walked over to the bed holding a sleeping form. With every step, her grip on the weapon tightened until she had white knuckles as she stood beside the bed. As she stared at the sleeping being, her eyes flashed with anger as she recalled her life.

"_You are weak!"_

"_You will never lead this clan."_

"_You can't even beat your sister, five years younger than you."_

A small tear ran down her cheek, having to remember her years of abuse. Having no one to turn to and no friends outside her family, her teammates dying on a mission years ago. The only Hyūga her age trying to kill her four years ago, any hope of friends in the family was squashed. With these thoughts coursing through her brain and her blood racing through her veins, she raised the kunai above her head.

----------

"Hiashi-sama! Come quick!" shouted a Hyūga branch member, his eyes wide with shock.

Hyūga Hiashi looked up from his work, initially irritated that he was being interrupted. It was quickly replaced with concern at the branch member's facial expression. He stood quickly and rushed out of the room, following the signs of panic.

As soon as he saw that it was all focused on Hanabi's room, his normally stoic expression quickly turned to fear and he broke into a sprint.

He shouted, "Move aside!" when he got close and noticed the unmoving crowd. Everyone jumped aside at the sound of his voice, forming a clear path to the open door. He immediately noticed the faces of all people lining the path, most of concern, others of fear, but it was the looks of sympathy and sadness that worried him the most. He approached the door, the scene within freezing him in his steps.

_Red. Everything is…red._

Everything in the room was stained red with blood, except for a circle in the middle of the room, occupied by a person. His eyes were immediately drawn to the bed, and the unidentifiable mess tangled in its sheets.

He took a step in shock, "What, what happened in here?"

Suddenly the figure in the middle in the room, and he met he face of his other daughter. A large smile was on her face, but her eyes were devoid of life.

"I did it father," she said, standing. "I beat her. Like a true shinobi." Her face held joy as she took a step towards him.

He took a step back, his hands rising into a slightly defensive position. "What have you done?"

Her face fell slightly as she looked at the bed. By the time she turned back around, the large empty smile was back. "I beat Hanabi, father, like you always wanted. Aren't you proud of me?" she asked, hope filling her voice.

He was taken aback by the question. He took one last look at Hanabi's room before turning and walking away, muttering something to the collected branch members. Hinata's face fell as he walked.

"Father? Where are you going? Aren't you proud of me?" She felt someone grab her arm, and turned to the offending person. "Let go of me!" she yelled, striking the man in the chest. She felt other people grab her appendages, disabling her. "Let me go! Father has to tell me how proud he is of me!" She struggled wildly before someone struck her in the back of the neck, knocking her out.

----------

Sounds of a struggle were heard resonating down the sterile hallways punctuated occasionally by feminine grunts. Around the corner walked two shinobis carrying Hinata between them, her arms crossed in front of her by the chakra enforced strait jacket.

"Let me go! I don't belong here! Take me back to my father!"

They stopped in front of a doctor next to a door. "Put her in her," he said, opening the door. The two shinobis walked inside with the struggling kunoichi. Just as quickly, they were outside the room closing the door behind them. Almost immediately, there was a slam against the door. The action was ignored as the doctor hung a clipboard on the door and the three men walked away.

"Let me out! My father has to tell me how proud he is!" Hinata yelled, to no avail. She continued yelling for an hour, before collapsing to the padded floor, crying to herself softly.

**----------**

Uzumaki Naruto walked on the other side of the hospital, dressed in scrubs. Shinobis and hospital staff gave him wide berth, eyeing his claws and canines nervously. He froze and lifted his face into the air, sniffing. He smiled, "Fresh meat."


	2. Chapter 1: Introductions

Chapter 1: Introductions

Hinata had retreated to the corner of her room, tightening her arms, forced into a hugging position. A week of confinement had dampened her spirits, and she no longer attacked her captors. She quickly realized they were experienced jōnin, maybe even ANBU. Her final escape attempt had been during her shower time, when a male shinobi had to restrain her while naked. He didn't do anything perverted, but she knew that she was their prisoner.

"Why am I here?" she asked herself for the fifth time that hour. She could find no reason. She had heard that her father had been involved in the process, which confused her more. "He is supposed to be proud of me. I finally defeated Hanabi. Why would he put me here? Is he testing me?" She sat up, her eyes widening. That was it!

_He's testing me! I beat Hanabi, and he thinks I'm worthy of a tougher challenge._

She began looking around the room, analyzing her surroundings. Now that she had an objective, she could go about it in an organized fashion. Like a true shinobi. Like a proud Hyūga. She focused chakra to her eyes, activating her byakugan. Sharp pain stopped her however. She reasoned her jacket must have interfered.

_That's alright; it's just part of the challenge!_

She instead focused on her room, trying to find any architectural weaknesses she could exploit. A noise outside distracted her: a scratch followed by shouting…

----------

Naruto walked down the sterile hallway, for once focused on something new in the hospital. Whoever it was had been here for a week and he had waited to go play with them, opting to let their initial adjustment to the environs work itself out. New patient were always so hysterical, so wild. It entertained him the first few months after this realization, but now it bored immensely. It was now more fun to talk to them after they calmed down. Then again, he would take anything to relieve the boredom of this place.

He passed doors, making sure to stand tall, allowing his spiky blonde hair to be seen through the windows. The whimpers and scurrying in the rooms delighted his ears, affirming his position in the facility. He scraped a clawed hand across the window of a particularly vivid memory, and felt a swell of happiness at the bottom of his heart at the sound of whimpering issuing from within. He continued his patrol of the hallways before stopping in front of a door. He looked at it quizzically, as if never seeing it before. He walked towards the room and sniffed deeply.

"Ah…I remember you," he said to himself softly. He reached for the clipboard hanging on the door and scanned the records of the patient within. "Shows symptoms of histrionic personality disorder, though further symptoms may be masked by withdrawn personality," Naruto read aloud, a slow smile spreading from ear to ear with every word. He liked histrionics. "So eager to please."

He wrapped his hand around the doorknob, being sure to scrape one of his claws against the door. "Stop right there!" a voice behind him shouted, making him wince in annoyance. He turned his head slowly, freezing the interloper with his enraged visage. The young man, a doctor by the appearance of his coat, steeled himself, and took a step towards Naruto. "Patients aren't allowed out of their rooms or to visit other patients. Give me your name and we'll go see the supervisor for your actions." He started to take another step, but before his foot touched the ground, he was launched cross the hallway and found himself hoisted into the air by a hand around his throat with claws digging into his neck. His struggling ended quickly with a single look into a pair of blood-red eyes from the blonde-haired youth.

"Do you know who I am?" Naruto asked through his teeth.

The man's faced drained of blood as he recalled hearing about the Kyūbi boy. He finally nodded his head, albeit shakily.

"Then why are you talking to me?" he asked, tightening his grip. "You should know I'm allowed to do what I want."

The man nodded his head again quickly, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

Naruto stared the man in the eyes or a moment before dropping him and turning away. The man took a moment before taking a deep breath, and standing. He felt something wet on his cheek and put a finger up to it. He winced as it stung and he looked at the digit, discovering a deep red liquid on it. He looked in a mirror across the hallway, eyeing the four gashes running diagonally across his left cheek. They were so fine and done so quickly that he hadn't even felt them. He cast another look at Naruto, who was now studying the door again, before turning away and walking away quickly.

Naruto waited until the man had turned away down the corridor and he couldn't hear him anymore before opening the door and walking inside.

----------

He met pale lavender eyes that took him by surprise, staring at him wildly. They carried a mix of fear and surprise, but a small amount of curiosity was present and deep down he could see a glimmer of defiance that gave him a small amount of interest. She had long dark blue hair and he could tell that she had an athletic figure underneath her jacket. Her face tugged at a memory deep in his mind, but he pushed it away like so many others. He smiled at her before walking over.

She was surprised to say the least, especially after the noise of whatever happened outside. She was also wary of this new figure who just invaded he room. He was tall, with spiky blonde hair arranged haphazardly on his head. His obviously lean figure was packed into a tight-fitting orderly uniform, but she could tell that he was not hospital staff by the presence of his red eyes and clawed hands. These were not the thing that caught her attention however. It was the three odd lines running across his cheeks, creating a facsimile of whiskers. They stirred in her memory of something from when she was little, but she couldn't pin the thought down. It also caused a tightening of her chest and she blushed, an action she hadn't done in years. It intensified when he suddenly squatted in front of her and leaned forward to stare into her eyes.

She jumped when he suddenly spoke. "You're a Hyūga, aren't you?" he asked, leaning back on his flanks. He had the appearance of a feral animal at rest, calm but tense as if ready to strike at a moment's notice.

She gave him a quizzical look, as if judging him. She drew herself up into the mot dignified position she could muster given the circumstances. "Yes. I am Hyūga Hinata, heir of the main branch of the Hyūga clan." She felt weird taking such a haughty demeanor, but she didn't know this man and he didn't know her, and she knew her father might be watching, observing how she reacted.

Naruto was not the least bit intimidated and merely raised his eyebrows. "You're one of the heirs, huh?" he asked, with obvious amusement. He folded his hands under his chin before continuing, "I guess that makes you a princess, huh? How did you get in here? Did somebody not give you something and you throw a temper tantrum?" he said mockingly, even going so far as to laugh lightly at the end.

Hinata could feel her face burning, not from embarrassment but anger. How dare this man insult her and her clan. Was this part of the test? Was she supposed to defend herself? "You're wrong," she said meekly, but with an undertone of steel. Naruto quit laughing and watched her, almost expectantly. "We are a warrior clan, and as a member of the main branch, my training surpasses that of all other."

He raised his eyebrows again, "Oh, so you're a shinobi?"

She glared at him, "Yes, and if my hands weren't restricted, I would show how strong my clan is."

He smiled wide, revealing his white teeth with the enlarged canines. "Okay," he said simply and put a finger behind the main strap of the jacket, pulling and breaking the restraint with no show of effort. He then stood and folded his arms, "Show me."

She was momentarily stunned into silence. She knew these jackets were chakra enhanced and required special techniques to open. She had felt no chakra molding from him, but for him to break with brute strength would be a feat in itself. She commenced with removing her appendages, expecting to meet some form of resistance. She met none however, and extracted herself fully from the jacket and stood, stretching her sore arms.

For once in his life, Naruto was enthralled. He could tell that she had a toned body, but the vision before him shamed any other he had seen. She had a petite form but had curves in the right proportions and places. He caught himself before his eyes began to roam, and focused again on her face, but now with the thought of her body in his mind, he couldn't help but take a second, closer account of her countenance. He noticed the fine curves of her cheek and chin, and how her hair seemed to cascade over her shoulders now that she stood. The only flaw he could find was that her nose seemed a bit blunt, but it still fit her face and he couldn't see anyway to improve upon it.

_On second thought, her nose is perfect._

He quickly smoothed his features over when she refocused on him and dropped into what he assumed to be her fighting stance. He continued to stand upright, his arms crossed over his chest. They continued to stand in this manner before Naruto got bored. "Well…?"

She narrowed her eyes at him before rushing forward, thrusting a palm into his right shoulder. They once again froze in position, him unmoved and her with her palm almost resting on him. She jumped back to her original position, his time with an almost imperceptible smirk on her face.

"What was that?" he asked. His attention was quickly drawn to his right arm, which had suddenly dropped to his side and swung lifelessly. He looked back at her incredulously, "What did you do?"

She smirked visibly this time, "That is the Hyūga style gentle fist. I cut off the chakra to your arm. You can't use it now." She felt her spirits drain when another smile covered is face and he chuckled softly.

"That's good." He then closed his eyes for a second before opening them, and raised his right arm to Hinata's disbelief. "But not good enough."

"B-byakugan!" she said, the vein around her eyes selling as she activated her bloodline limit. What she saw chilled her to the core. Unlike other people's normal blue chakra system, this man's was crimson-orange and pulsed violently. "What…who are you?"

He smiled viciously, "I am the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no kitsune. And here's my strength." He disappeared before her eyes and she found herself flying through the air before landing on her back with a thud. Naruto resumed a squatting position above her head, looking at her upside-down. He expected her face to be covered in the fear that he so relished, but he was met with another surprise. Her eye had attained a slightly glazed over effect and possessed something resembling amazement. She rolled over, and sat up, tucking her legs under her body.

"That was amazing!" she said breathlessly. This took Naruto by surprise. Who was this girl? "What's your name?"

He reevaluated her lightly. No one ever wanted to know his name. It made him feel good, but in a different manner than usual. He smiled wide so that his eyes closed, "Uzumaki Naruto."

Now was Hinata's turn to be surprised. She turned away slightly as a light blush came to her face and her index fingers tented involuntarily as memories of a wild boy from the academy came to mind. "I remember you from the academy," she said after a moment's hesitation. His smile instantly vanished, recalling those days. He was suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He was becoming confused by this girl and she was dredging up bad memories. She noticed his discomfort and became concerned, "What's the matter?"

He didn't look at her as he answered, "You remember me?"

She smiled as she turned away again, "Yes, you were always pulling pranks." She turned to face him again with a questioning look in her eyes, "Then you disappeared one year. Where did you go?"

His hands balled up as he talked, seemingly as if to no one, "Here."

"Why?"

"Somebody hurt me," by now his fist were shaking and blood was seeping through his clenched hands, "And I hurt them back."

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly, reaching out to his shoulder. The second she made contact, his head snapped up so violently that she flinched back. In his eyes, she could see smoldering hate and anger, something which scare her to her core. He stood quickly and walked around her, and out the door slamming it behind him. She stared at the door a moment before lunging herself at it, pounding on the portal.

"Come back, please! I'm sorry!" She heard footsteps approaching and stepped back, but when the door opened she was met with brute force and a sharp pain in her head before darkness consumed her.

----------

Naruto stalked the corridors of the facility, anger and hate rolling off him in visible waves of chakra. Entire hallways would clear at his presence, which suited him perfectly. He finally stopped in front of one room, but when he saw the name on the door, he snarled viciously and ran back the way he came and retreated to his own room.


	3. Chapter 2: Promenade

Chapter 2: Promenade

It had been three weeks since Naruto stalked out of Hinata's room, and she was still tormented by the memory. She remembered the boy from the academy, and the crush she had had on him at the time. She had admired his spirit and inner strength. When he disappeared all those years ago, she had been heartbroken and felt as if a piece of her heart was missing for all these years, and she felt the opportunity to have it back when she saw him again. Now it was gone.

This new Naruto was unlike the young smiling boy from years ago, but she could see that he had grown into a strong man and felt longing for him more. Why was he here though? Maybe he was the real reason her father sent her here! Now that Hanabi was out of the way, she was the heir to the Hyūga clan, and she needed a strong husband. She sighed dejectedly. And she had ruined it again by upsetting him.

"Naruto-kun," she said under her breath, feeling the tears swelling in her eyes again. "I'm sorry." She then began sobbing silently, attempting to hide her face in her bound arms.

----------

Naruto once again found himself sitting outside that strange girl's room, listening to her sobs. Unlike the times he did this to other patients, he found no enjoyment in the act. It put a sharp pain in his heart that he found strange and uncomfortable, but couldn't draw himself away from the spot. He constantly resolved to do something else every night, but he somehow found himself drawn to the same door, listening to her sobs and cries over him. It confused him and made him sad, but he couldn't find it in himself to ignore her.

He growled and grabbed his head, causing an orderly to turn around and hurry away. He was use to simply eradicating annoyances that bothered him, and he knew the easiest way to get rid of these feelings was to get rid of the girl. But the thought made him sick to his stomach.

"_Naruto-kun,"_ he heard from the inside causing him to sharpen his hearing, listening more intently. He found the sound of her voice somewhat soothing, and he now had to admit that she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen. _"I'm sorry."_

His face contorted in confusion. He had never heard those words directed at him before. He felt a warm feeling in his heart, and felt a strange compulsion to go inside to her.

_Who is she to make me feel this way?_ He asked himself bitterly, but he knew he didn't have his whole heart in it. He wanted to see her, but something was stopping him. _Nothing stops me._ That's right, he does what he wants and to hell with everything else. He stood and nearly ripped her locked door off the hinges in opening it.

----------

Hinata was startled when her door was violently opened, making a large banging sound. She was momentarily blinded by the sudden light entering her room from the bright hallway, and was only aware of her trespasser when he appeared inches from her face, causing her to flinch back in surprise. Her mind shifted quickly from alertness to happiness at the presence of her Naruto-kun to confusion mixed with sadness at his presence.

Naruto, for his part, was wondering what to do, now that he was in here. He had ideas of doing something grand and dramatic, in the hopes of making his head think straight. But now that he was face to face with her again, he felt his mind enter a fog. He was disturbed when she first pulled away, but she looked happy when recognition entered her eyes.

He shook his head and stood up, dragging her with him. Another quick movement and her jacket was lying in ribbons on her floor. After a moment of shock, she rubbed her face of tear streaks, suddenly embarrassed by their presence. When she looked up, he was at the door with his head turned back to her. With a simple jerk of his head, he silently commanded her to follow him before walking out the door. She quickly acquiesced.

When she caught up to him, she fell into step beside him and a little behind. They walked for a while before he spoke.

"How do you know me?"

The question caught her off guard, and she took a moment to figure out what he was asking exactly. Apparently it was a moment too long, because he looked back at her with a flicker of annoyance, causing her to quickly formulate the simplest answer she could. "I remember you from the academy," she said quietly.

He turned back around when she finished and returned to his contemplative silence, or so it seemed to her. Naruto, however, was being anything but contemplative. His mind was reeling, trying to remember any girls named Hyūga Hinata from the academy. He had blocked many of those memories, and dredging them up was an emotionally taxing ordeal. He looked back at her with a slight tint of anger in his eyes, anger directed at the world in general but anger nonetheless. Hinata was immediately at attention with the return of his scrutiny, but she wilted under his intense gaze, bending her head down and rubbing her fingers together, a habit she thought she had abolished. It clicked in his head.

_She's that girl…who was always acting shy around everyone._

He remembered her as being very weak, but to get in here she must have something very bad, which would imply that she had the strength to do it. She would require further study on his part. "I remember you, too," he stated simply. Her reaction was a complete shock to him, as she turned her eyes to him and a bright smile spread across her face. He didn't like it. He never remembered people being nice to him as a child, and anyone other than the Hokage usually wanted to kill him.

_Is that what she wants, playing with my memories? I won't let her!_

In a flash, she found herself pinned to the wall by his hand at her neck, his claws digging into her skin enough to draw droplets of blood. She began gasping and struggling at his hands, but they were like iron.

_Such power,_ she thought, feeling a shiver of excitement run through her even as the color drained form her face.

"Why are you smiling?" he growled through gritted teeth, "Why are happy that I remember you?"

She struggled to speak, and he loosened his grip enough for her to breathe. He wanted to hear her reasoning before he killed her. "I…I love you," she finally got out. Once again, he didn't know what to do. No one had ever said that to him before, not even the old man.

"Since when?" he asked in a calmer tone of voice. He wanted to be sure. He suspected she was lying and would pounce upon any inconsistency in her story to rip her a new orifice. But…for some reason…he wanted her to prove herself.

"Since the academy," she started, and he loosened his hand a bit, "I had a crush on you." She continued with much ease, "I admired for your strength and courage. I saw how the other kids treated you," at this point, he saw a welcome flicker of fury pass across her face, but it disappeared as soon as it had appeared and he found himself second guessing whether it had been there, "and I hated it. I never saw you do anything to deserve such treatment."

Her face was now covered in sympathy and a deep sadness he was not accustomed to. He lowered her until her feet touched the ground, but kept his hand in place. What struck him as odd was that she did not look relieved at being let down, but kept looking at him in eyes with that same sad look. "I was real sad when you left," her eyes lowered at this, but then she looked up at him with a certain gleam in her eye and she placed her hand on his forearm in a gentle manner, "but I knew I couldn't give up, because you would have kept going, and I wanted to be like you." He found her touch both unnerving and comforting. He felt his resolve slacken.

Her eyes suddenly took on a look that had him at full alert, "And now…now that your back in my life," now both of her hands were on his arms and began sliding up his arm in a sensuous manner. Her eyes carried a glazed over effect similar to the first time he had seen her. He had seen that look so many times on other patients, and knew it couldn't be faked. "I see how strong you've become, and I know why father chose you for me." That was it…that was the lie. It was so ludicrous, he didn't know how she could come up with it. She would have to be crazy.

_Crazy._ Maybe she really does belong here. _But what does that say about me, having to be crazy to like me._ He was saddened by this thought, but it passed. He didn't care. He just wanted it. _I want it badly._

He released his hand, but she kept hers in place, giving him a gentle smile, but he could see the dangerous glint in her eye that probably got her in this place in the first place. He smiled at her in turn, baring his teeth in the process. "Thank you," he stated simply, turning and walking away.

One would expect such a response to a confession to be heartbreaking, but one would not guess Hinata felt such a way by the look on her face. It would be hard to imagine such ecstasy to be gained from a simple thank you, but she felt it anyways. She quickly returned to her position with him, albeit a little bit closer.

----------

Hinata was saying goodnight to Naruto as she stood in the doorway to her room. When he left, she danced around the room, reveling in the aftereffects of her day spent with him. There wasn't much to do in this place, but he showed her all the things he did, mostly at other patients expense. She didn't particularly find any pleasure in the events, but they seemed to make him happy so she did them anyways.

_We're going to be so happy when we're married,_ she thought as she drifted off to sleep, her strait jacket bundled up under her head as a makeshift pillow, a wide smile spread across her face.

----------

Naruto left Hinata, a slight light feeling in his heart from the events of the day. He was happy to have a companion. It made everything so much more enjoyable to have an objective audience. He quickly walked to the supervisor's office, a door with a large glass window, and walked inside without a pause. The man behind the desk cowered in his presence, but he paid the mannerism no mind.

"Hyūga Hinata, no more jacket," he said, and walked back out.


	4. Chapter 3: Erasing the Past

Chapter 3: Erasing the Past

A/N: This chapter dedicated to kitsunecontainer.

Everyday for a month, Naruto came by Hinata's room, unlocking her door and allowing her to walk with him around the complex. In the beginning, it was to accompany him on his visits to other patients, but he found he soon lost interest in those and began just walking and talking with her.

"Hinata?" he asked one day, after another moment of comfortable silence.

"Yes?" she returned, turning her complete attention to him with a wide smile.

"Do you like it here?" he asked, watching her response carefully.

She rewarded him with a quizzical look before she returned to her smile and answering, "As long as you're around me, I'm happy."

He observed for a moment before rewarding her answer with a small toothy smile and turning forward again. She stared at the back of his head for a minute reveling in the small smile before she too turned forward to watch where she was going. "I'm just waiting for father to get us out of here," she said after a moment.

Naruto rolled that in his head. _Yeah right._ Her father probably had put her here and was not going to get her out anytime soon.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked, interrupting his thoughts. He grunted in response, but it was invitation enough for her to continue, "Are you happy here?"

He was silent as they walked. She had worried that she had upset him and was about to begin apologizing profusely when he turned slightly towards her to answer. "It's been a lot better since you've come here."

She beamed at his answer, but now that he had finally answered one question, her thirst for knowledge only grew. "Why are you here?" A bold question, judging from his reaction from her first inquiry into the manner, but she figured fiancés shouldn't keep secrets from each other.

He stopped and turned to face her, as if scrutinizing her. She was startled and began to feel uneasy under his gaze. He walked past her walking down the hallway from which they had come. His stride, though, was purposeful. "Follow me," he said, and she quickly resumed her position beside him. "I am here because they feel I am a threat to society," he finally answered, continuing his journey through the compound.

Hinata rolled her eyes at the response, _As if he would hurt anybody_. She thought about that for a second, _who didn't deserve it._ "I doubt that," she started, which he snorted at, "but you must have done something to get in trouble for. I remember you telling me you hurt somebody," she suggested hesitantly.

He was silent for a moment, "I did didn't I," he said quietly. "We're going to meet her."

That statement had Hinata irked, _Her?_

She was silent the rest of the way to meet this mysterious person.

----------

"We're here," Naruto said finally. They had passed from the criminal wing (with slight pressure on the guard from Naruto) into the coma ward, and stopped outside of a private room. "She's in there," he said simply, leaning against the wall across from the closed door, a sour look on his face.

Hinata looked at him quizzically, wondering why he didn't go in. She finally moved towards the door, looking at the name on the plaque. It took her minute, but the name brought a face to mind and she frowned, gaining a look sourer than Naruto's. "I remember her." She turned to face him, for the first time since being together showing him any kind of look of discontent, "Why won't you go in?"

He snorted, and shot a hateful look at the door, "The Hokage won't let me. She says I cause undue stress on the patient." He spat on the floor, showing his disgust. With the situation or his restriction, Hinata didn't know, but she could take a good guess. "I shouldn't even be here, outside the door. As long as I don't disturb her though, the Hokage doesn't care."

Hinata took all of this comfortably, convinced her Naruto didn't come her often, and instead directed her attentions to the actual person inside, "What did you do to her?" she asked, her gaze turning slightly back to the door.

At this question, Naruto smiled the vilest grin Hinata had ever seen, and it made her shiver with excitement, waiting to hear the tale. "Go see her first, and then I'll tell you," he said, much to her disappointment. She frowned, one for being denied her answer, and two because she did not want to see the bitch in the room. She shrugged however, and moved to open the door, but was interrupted by Naruto saying, "Wait a second, she can't see me or I'll get in trouble." He moved a few feet down the hall and leaned back against it, folding his arms across his chest and looking for the world as if he was going to take a nap.

She smiled and waved at him, as if to say good-bye momentarily, before opening the door.

-----------

Hinata entered the room, a look of disgust covering her face at the sight of the figure in the bed.

_I always hated that pink hair._

Haruno Sakura had always been the pretty girl in class and the smartest and the most popular. Hinata had never cared for those things, but it had bothered her immensely when Sakura gained the attention and affection of the boy she was after. Back then, she had never felt any animosity towards the girl, but now…

Hinata walked over to the side of the bed, observing the girl, a snake surveying its prey. She had her eyes open, but showed no response to Hinata's movement. She looked thin, to the point of being unhealthy. Hinata could only guess that it was because she was bedridden. She still had that disgustingly pink hair, faded from years spent indoors. Hinata cocked her head to one side, studying Sakura. There was something wrong with her, something that Hinata couldn't put her finger on. She looked at the myriad of monitors hooked up to the girl, but they all appeared normal. Hinata took another a look at her body, and then her eyes narrowed as she realized that Sakura looked really short for her age.

She brought her hands up to her face, forming a seal, "Byakugan," she said quietly, activating her bloodline limit. She gasped at the sight that met from underneath the bed sheets. Where there should have been arms and legs were stumps, wrapped in bandages. She released the byakugan, placing a hand over her chest. She smiled, recognizing the jagged lines of flesh underneath the bandages indicated tearing damage from claws, and wounds that refused to heal as if struck by supernatural means.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata cooed under her breath. Almost immediately, there was a response from the room's other occupant. Her breathing increased, and the monitors showed an increase in heart rate and brain activity. Also, Hinata noticed that her pupils had dilated asmall amount. Hinata smiled cruelly and sauntered over to the bed, leaning over to Sakura's ear, whispering, "Naruto-kun's right outside."

She took joy in watching the girl's eyeballs dilate to inhuman proportions, and her monitors begin escalating. Suddenly a silent alarm went off, a red light beeping on a machine signaling nurses to come investigate. Hinata quickly left, joining Naruto down the hall. Almost immediately, a crowd of doctors entered the room, eyeing Naruto nervously.

He, however, was only interested in Hinata, and raised his eyebrows at the gleeful look in her eyes, "What did you do?"

She looked him in the eyes, but never fully focused her own, "I told her you were outside. I wanted to see what it would do."

He frowned slightly, a movement that worried her. "Did you think it would upset her?"

She hesitated before answering, "I-I knew," she admitted, hanging her head, "I just wanted to see how much." She was upset for what she had done. _I should have known it would make Naruto-kun upset, _she told herself in her head. _I shouldn't be jea…_

Her thoughts were cut short as she felt a clawed hand cup her chin and raise it to meet its owner's face. He was wearing one of his cruel smiles, but his eyes held a softness that she didn't think could exist there. One of the clawed fingers scratched her cheek affectionately, causing her to half-close her eyes and shiver in ecstasy. "You know Hinata," he said, bringing her attention back full force, "you're the type of person I really like." He leaned down and planted a small kiss on her cheek.

She stared at him a moment, then she smiled the largest smile he had ever seen, before passing out in his arms. He looked at her with a bemused look before shrugging his shoulders and lifting her in his arms and carrying her back to her room.

----------

Naruto sat in his chair, one leg hanging over one of the arms. Tsunade stood tapping her foot, attempting to stare him down, but he wasn't fazed in the least.

"I know you were there, Naruto. People saw you!" she yelled, attempting to intimidate him. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything to her, Granny," he said, putting stress on the final word. She tightened her jaw, audibly. He smirked, relishing in his secret knowledge of her age. He closed his eyes and sighed, repositioning himself before continuing, "You know that if I had been there, you would still be treating her."

She glared at him, "I know you didn't go in, but maybe your new little friend did?"

He almost responded to that, but didn't rise to the ruse, "She's just a toy for a while."

"She seems to be a favorite, from what I've heard," Tsunade said, folding her arms across her sizable chest, speaking calmly. Naruto, however, could see the uneasiness in her eyes.

"Perhaps, she's very pretty," he said, before smiling in a way that made Tsunade very nervous and lick his lips.

She was suddenly in his face, "Don't even think about it Naruto! Do you even know…," she was interrupted by a knock at the door. "What!?!" she shouted, yanking the door open.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but it's an emergency," said an obviously nervous ninja.

She grunted and, with a last look at Naruto, stepped outside. Naruto strained his ears, but couldn't make out what the shinobi was saying. This proved to be unnecessary when Tsunade spoke, "What!?! How?"

"Asphyxiation, Hokage-sama," said the man meekly, making Naruto pay full attention.

"When?" growled Tsunade, loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"It had to have been within the last few minutes, because we left her only half an hour ago."

There was silence and then Tsunade reentered Naruto's room, closing the door behind her. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her troubled face. "Something wrong?" he asked innocently.

She stared at him for another full minute before answering, "Sakura's dead," she answered.

He swung his legs down, looking surprised, "Really? How?"

"I don't know, but I will find out. And you'd better not be involved," she said, enough threat in her voice that even Naruto felt uneasy.

"I was here and you know it," he said, almost matching her tone.

She glared at him for another moment before turning and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.

He listened to her stomp down the hall, retreating to the outside world. He pondered this new development, wondering how it could have happened. He furrowed his brow, before standing and leaving his room.

----------

Hinata dashed behind her door, closing it behind her, panting heavily.

She smiled, thinking over what she had done, "Naruto-kun will be so happy." She was certain, "But what if he isn't? What if he is upset?" she said to herself, but shook her head just as quickly.

There was a knock at her door, making her jump. She dashed over to her bed, lying down as she was when the Hokage visited. She had faked unconsciousness, taking the chance that came when Tsunade said she was going to talk to Naruto. Her door opened and she rolled over so that she was facing away from the person entering.

"Hinata?" she heard, and recognized the voice immediately. She rolled out of her bed, reaching Naruto in one bound.

She grasped his hands in both of hers, catching him by surprise. "I have great news," she said, her eyes dancing.

"I've heard," he said gravely, removing his hands and folding them across his chest.

Hinata's face faltered, "What do you mean?"

"Tsunade found out, and told me. Why did you do that?" he asked sternly.

"I-I thought you would be proud of me," she said, suddenly doubting herself. "I thought it would make you happy." Tears started forming in her eyes, immediately threatening to spill over.

Naruto surprised her by smiling jovially and putting his hands on her shoulders, "I am proud of you Hinata." He then gave her a concerned look, "I just don't want you to get in trouble." Her attitude took a complete turn around, smiling as she planted her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around him. He was taken aback, but rewarded her with a hug of her own. "Just one question," he asked, and when she nodded against him, "how did you do it?"

She turned up to him before answering, "I waited till Tsunade was gone and snuck into her room. It was real easy!" she wiped her eyes on his shirt, but suddenly looked up at him as if she had done something wrong. He just chuckled and shook his head, and motioned for her to continue, "I used a pillow, and made sure I was real quiet. I told her you sent me."

"Why did you say that?"

"To see the look in her eye."

Naruto was truly amazed. He never thought he would meet someone so like him. "Hey Hinata, would you like to come to my room?"

She stared for a minute before blushing coyly and looking away shyly, "I-I would like that."

He smiled and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the room.


	5. Chapter 4: Intimacy

Chapter 4: Intimacy

Hinata could barely contain her giddiness at her current predicament: walking hand in hand with her fiancé to visit his residence for the very first time. She suppressed a squeal as she tightened her hand in Naruto's grasp, earning an almost imperceptible squeeze in return. She sped up her walking, placing her closer to her beau. Her attention shifted to her surroundings as they turned a corner and the lighting died away.

They were walking down a dark hallway, most of the lights flickering or out of order. All the rooms they passed were empty; their doors wide open for all to see. It was quiet, most of the cells appearing vacant for a long time. Hinata was disquieted by the atmosphere, and stepped closer to Naruto. She finally noticed a lighted room at the end of the hall, where the wing supervisor and examination rooms were kept.

Seeing no other lights in the hallway, she turned to Naruto with a questioning look on her face, "Naruto-kun, where is your room?"

"Here," he said, stopping in front of the administration room and nudging the door open with his free hand. She shot him a confused look that he found very endearing before pulling her inside. The room was very sparse and more than a little messy. It consisted of a single bed in the corner, bare of sheets and blanket with a single pillow on top. Strewn around were various magazines and books that she recognized as the fame _Icha Icha Paradise _novels, causing her to blush. Beside the bed was a single table with an empty ramen cup sitting on it. Other than those items, the room was almost depressingly bare, the walls, floor, and even ceiling covered in grayish stains and claw marks. The final thing she noticed was the smell. It was very musky and tickled her nose, tugging at the back of her mind for recollection. She looked over at Naruto who was eyeing the room with a slight frown on his face. She stepped close to him, burying her face in his upper arm and breathing deeply, smiling when the two fragrances matched perfectly. She looked dreamily up at his face, to be met with his confused look.

"Eep!" she squeaked before jumping back and staring at her feet, her fingers tenting in front of her. After a moment she raised her head to him and found him smiling at her in a roguish way. "Gomen…" she started to say, but he placed a finger over her mouth, stepping to within an inch of her, his height making its full impression as he towered over her.

"It's alright," he said simply. He then leaned over her, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply. He also wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against him. Hinata suddenly felt dizzy and a flush spreading through her, except this one started in the bottom of her stomach. He released her after a minute and she once again stared up at him, a look in her eyes that at the same time startled and excited Naruto.

Almost immediately, she seemed to snap out of her state and looked around the room with renewed shyness. It was then that she noticed a door in one wall, leading to a white tiled room. "Naruto-kun," she started hesitantly, "what's that room?"

He looked in the direction of her eyesight, "My bathroom."

"You have your own bathroom?" she asked, looking up at him with amazement. When he shrugged, she escaped from his grasp and walked over to the mysterious chamber, discovering within an impeccably clean washroom and another door leading to a stall with a toilet. However, she eyed the large object across the room, its pale 2 meter form inviting her into its grasp. She felt Naruto walk up behind her and once again flushed at the proximity.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"You have your own tub," she said, more a statement than a question.

He shrugged, "Yeah…came with the room."

She sighed, "I would give anything to be able to take a nice, long, hot bath."

"Go ahead," he said without a moment's thought.

She quickly turned around, a shocked look on her face, "Oh no! I couldn't do that." She shook her head slightly, embarrassment etched into her features.

"Why not?" he asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.

"Because…" she started, but quickly found any argument to amount to shyness on her part. She told herself it was just a bath at his place, and allowing herself a small smile, she nodded her head and said quietly, "O-Okay."

"Good, go ahead and get in. I'll be right back," and with that he turned away and walked towards the door, disappearing before she could question him about it. She shrugged to herself and closed the bathroom door.

She walked over to the tub, running her hand along the fine porcelain. She turned on the water, testing the water until it was at the edge of being uncomfortably hot. While the tub was filling, she quickly stripped down and folded her clothes to place them at the side. Looking around she eyed a new bar of soap and folded washcloth lying on a small table which she placed next to the tub. Noticing the tub had filled, she stopped the water and placed a foot in the water. After initially withdrawing it from the heat momentarily, she eased the rest of her leg in followed quickly by her body, sighing contentedly as the heat seeped into her skin.

She had found a comfortable spot, resting her head against the lip of the tub when the door opened, startling her. She sat up and covered herself, her byakugan activating on instinct. When she saw it was Naruto, his arms laden with objects, she relaxed for the most part. Her arms stayed where they were however.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing in here?" she asked, trying to sound chastising.

All he did was stare at her, his mouth slightly agape. She blushed self-consciously, yet pleased deep down at his reaction. He focused on her face after a minute, "What?" She repeated herself, to which he merely shrugged, "It's my bathroom." His argument apparently ended the discussion as he walked over to the tub, depositing his armful on the floor. She cast a cautionary glance at him and when he made no sign of moving she slid to the edge of the tub and glanced down.

It was an assortment of toiletries, shampoos and the like. She gasped and looked up at him, "Where did you get those?"

He put his hand behind his head and looked to the side, "I asked some of the nurses to donate them from their break room."

She smiled in gratitude and bowed her head slightly, "Arigatō, Naruto-kun. That was really nice of them."

"Yeah," he said, chuckling under his breath, "real nice of them." He reached for the hem of his shirt and began pulling it up.

Hinata gasped and her eyes widened, "Naruto-kun! What are you doing?"

He looked at her before smirking and pulling the shirt completely off, "I'm getting in. I haven't had a bath in a while either."

Hinata hardly heard him, as focused as she was on his now exposed torso. He stretched, causing the muscles across his chest and shoulders to tighten, showing no ounce of fat anywhere. What finally caught her attention was the seal on his stomach, it swirling glowing pattern casting a spell on her mind. She wanted to touch it, and even began her hand towards when his own hand crossed in her vision, tugging on the string holding his pants up. Her squeak startled him, pausing his actions. He saw her cover her eyes and sink into the water to better hide her body. He chuckled and tugged on his pants so that they fell to his ankles and climbed into the opposite end of the tub, placing one of the bottles of shampoo beside him.

He sighed almost dramatically as his body relaxed immediately. He watched Hinata's knees draw up to her chest in embarrassment. He also saw her eyes peeking out between her fingers, watching him apprehensively. The whole ordeal was thoroughly amusing to the young man.

Hinata, however, was having the toughest time of her life. She had certainly known a day like this would come, but this was a bit much on her frail psyche. She didn't want to upset Naruto, but was hesitant about doing anything before their honeymoon. He dipped his head beneath the water and she removed her hands from her face, crossing them over her chest. He reemerged a moment later, wiping his wet hair out of his face. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation, finding herself warming to the idea of where things were leading. Her attention was shifted when he reached over and pulled a bottle up, emptying the contents into his hand and lathering his head.

"Oh, yeah," she said softly, her discomfort momentarily disappearing as she remembered Naruto's gift for her. Noting that his eyes were currently hidden by the suds of his washing, she leaned as high up as possible while remaining hidden in the water to observe the various chemicals on the floor. Choosing one, she began washing her own hair. Naruto, having much less hair than Hinata, finished within minutes and sat back, watching her cleaning her hair meticulously. After a moment, she noticed his stare and blushed, trying to focus on her own work.

"Ummm…," she started, trying to find something to talk about instead of staring at each other. "Naruto-kun?"

"Hmmm?" She hesitated and bit her lip rather than talking anymore. "What is it, Hinata-chan?"

She looked away and wrung her hair in her hand, "What…what did you do to…Sakura?"

He stared for a minute before sighing. She instantly regretted asking him, as it was a sensitive subject. Before she could retract her statement, he began speaking, "It was when we were seven years old." His switch to story mode washed away her worries and devoted her attention to him, only absently washing her hair. "It was after ninja academy, when I still had a crush on the bitch." That statement had Hinata making one of her rare angry faces in his presence, but it paled next to Naruto's look of disgust which mad him look like he wanted to spit. "I asked if I could come over to her house and play. She said no, how she would never like me." A look of sadness crossed only to be instantly swallowed by anger. "She did it in front of everyone, and I was so embarrassed." He shut his eyes, baring his teeth as he suppressed the emotions building inside of him. He gripped his hands on the side of the bathtub and loud screeching sound filled the room as deep gouges appeared in the porcelain.

Hinata gave him a pained look, and wracked her brain for the event. "I don't remember, Naruto-kun," she finally admitted, bowing her hair in shame.

"It's alright," he said, waving his hand dismissively, "you weren't there that day." She smiled and was flattered that he remembered the event from so long ago. "Anyways," he began, returning to his tale, "I followed her home, trying to explain what had happened. All she did was yell at me, telling me to leave her alone. She turned a corner and they appeared." At this point he stopped and stared at the water, lost in his memories. A while passed without movement and Hinata was about to call out to him when he began talking again, "Some shinobis had been following us, watching our conversation. They grabbed me to stop me from following her and told me to leave her alone. When I told them to back off," he bit off with a snarl, "they began to beat me, claiming to be teaching me a lesson. I didn't last long, and blacked out after a minute."

A look of immense pity came over Hinata, and she had the strongest urge to hold him tight. Before she could move, his head snapped up, locking eyes with her and giving her the most intense stare she had ever seen. "That was when I first met _him_," he said, his hand disappearing into the water over his abdomen. She had the impression he was holding his stomach, and his next words confirmed her suspicion, "The nine-tailed demon fox, Kyūbi. I awoke in a sewer, in front of a giant cage with a piece of paper holding it closed. The fox told me everything, and everything made sense." Naruto's voice rose, increasing with volume and tempo as he continued. Hinata found herself enraptured with his tale, hanging onto his every word as if her life depended on it. "I railed against the damn fox, blaming everything on him. I saw him flinch," he finished, stopping himself as his breathing slowed down to a normal rate. Hinata waited anxiously, wanting to know the direction of these events. "I knew," he started again, holding a finger in the air as if coming to an epiphany, "I knew he feared me for some reason. I pushed my advantage, telling him to help me in exchange for using my body as living space. He laughed at me!" yelled Naruto, indignation dominating his features. "The damn demon lives in my body and causes me a world of pain and suffering and he has the gall to laugh at me! He told me he would keep me alive so that he wouldn't die, but nothing more. Unless I proved myself to him," Naruto once again went silent, his face twisting into a sadistic grin. "Then I began yelling at him, letting all my anger out, and he began thrashing and holding his head. I stopped, curious as to what was going on. His thrashing stop and he glared at me, panting loudly. I guess because he lived in my body, he was at my control. I concentrated on causing him pain and once again he began thrashing and roaring, but the gate held no matter the strain put on it. A simple grin and he knew he had lost the battle." Naruto settled back into the water, sighing contentedly.

Hinata couldn't take anymore suspense, "What happened to Sakura?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," he said, scratching his head absentmindedly. "When I came to, it was night and I was alone. My body hurt like hell, but there were no injuries. The first thing to cross my mind was how Sakura had treated me earlier, and I made my way to her house eager to try out my new power." Hinata was now on pins and needles, waiting for the dramatic conclusion. "Her parents tried to stop me, but they were no ninjas," he said, admiring his claws and licking his lips in a way that Hinata found very alluring. "I sliced them to ribbons, waiting for Sakura to come so I could see the look on her face when she saw her parents. It was beautiful," he closed his eyes, teeth bared in a toothy sadistic grin. "I took my time with her, taking out all my hate and frustration on her, making sure she stayed alive."

Naruto sighed and leaned back in the water, the smile leaving his face. "They found me there, and brought me here. I haven't left since," he finished, twirling the water with his finger as he stared at the mini whirlpool with a vacant expression.

Hinata excitement over the story quickly dissipated with his new attitude. She once again found an urge to do something for him, and looked around for inspiration. She eyed the washcloth and bar of soap and, smiling gaily, grabbed them before swimming over to Naruto. "N-Naruto-kun," she began, bashfulness soaking her syllable, "do you want me to…to…to wash your back?"

Naruto slowly turned his gaze to her, observing her offering of soap and cloth beneath a face full of hope. He answered with a shrug and muttered "Sure" before turning around to give her access to his back. She made a happy sound and immediately set to work lathering the washcloth and placing it on his shoulders. He eyed the piece of cloth out of the corner before it disappeared to the other side. He had never used the piece of cotton and found it to be a waste, but gave in to her requests. The motions of her were so very different from his regular bathing, a rough quick scrubbing of his body. Her motions were more meticulous and smooth, feeling more like a massage. He felt heat begin to rise in his pelvis, and hoped that this led to other things. After a few minutes, the heat quelled to soft warmth and he felt himself relaxing under her gentle ministrations. He even found his eyelids beginning to drop but caught himself quickly. He felt her lean forward, being careful not to bring too much of her body in contact with him, and plant a small kiss on his cheek. The wash of water over his shoulders and back signified the end of the treatment and he turned around to face her once again, taking note of how close they were. He could reach out and touch any part of her if he wanted, and was very tempted to do so. He resigned himself to scratching the back of his neck and another muttering of thanks.

She smiled at him, "Of course, Naruto-kun." She began to move away to the other end when she felt him grab her hand. She turned back to him, a questioning look on her face.

"Turn around," he said, taking the soap from her. She looked at it before understanding dawned on her face and she turned around, handing him the washcloth. She pulled her hair over one shoulder and flashed him a beautiful, gracious smile that had him staring before he resigned himself to his task. He moved his two hands together, stopping when he caught sight of the washcloth in his hand. He eyed the piece of cloth with distaste, before tossing it over the lip of the tub where it made a distinct plop.

The sound caught Hinata's attention and she turned to look at the source. "Naruto-kun, what are you…!" her query died away into a surprised gasp as she felt his calloused hands caress her bare skin. The combination of the slippery soap and his rough skin created a tingling sensation in her skin that radiated down her spine. He rubbed her shoulders and back in a rough manner. She found the treatment very relaxing as knots she never knew she had became unraveled. She quickly slipped into complete relaxation under his untamed rubbing. She felt her eyelids get heavy and did nothing to hide the oncoming darkness as sleep overtook her.

Naruto caught her before she slipped under the water, looking over her shoulder to see that she was dead asleep. An irritated growl escaped his mouth at the predicament. He had planned on getting some tonight. He raised an eyebrow. He still technically could. But the idea didn't seem very appealing to him, contrary to his previous actions. Her peaceful expression and small smile made him feel calm and he leaned back against the tub bringing her with him to rest on his chest, turned slightly on her side. He used his hands to pour a small amount of water on her to wash away any soapy residue before wrapping a hand around her petite waist. She smiled and made a small sound of contentment as she rolled on her side, placing a hand on his chest. He felt the urge to tighten his arm, holding her tightly. He noticed vaguely that the temperature of the water had dropped to an uncomfortable coolness and flared his chakra, bringing the water to steaming within seconds. The warmth combined with the soft, smooth skin of the beautiful woman on his chest broke all his remaining defenses and he slipped into a peaceful slumber.


	6. Chapter 5: Escape

Chapter 5: Escape

A/N: This chapter thanks to RasenganFin.

Hinata dreamed, a myriad of images crisscrossing her subconscious. Most of them were various images of Naruto in many forms, either protecting her or merely being with her. He would sometimes be with her in ways that brought a blush to her even in her mind. The longest lasting ones, however, were simple images of him running through the forest on all fours and her running beside him, arms flayed behind her as the trees whisked by.

It was with this fleeting dream that Hinata awoke, instantly aware of the cold, clammy bath water in which she was submerged. She released a small shiver raising the notice of her bath mate. She froze at the soft rumble that she more felt than heard from his chest and was faintly aware of the soft red glow that appeared before steam rose from the water. It hit her quite suddenly why she could feel Naruto's reaction. She froze in embarrassment at the realization of his arms wrapped around her body and the proximity between their bodies. She inhaled sharply turning to Naruto's face lest her eyes wonder elsewhere. She was instantly caught by his face, for his whisker marks had thinned to the thin lines she remembered from his childhood. His forehead was void of the constant crease of the ever present scowl he usually wore and his mouth was in a neutral position with the ends turned down lightly in an appearance of contentment.

She reached a hand up to softly stroke his cheek and was possessed with a want to see his eyes, eliciting for her to softly speak, "Naruto-kun."

He stirred, scowling softly at the intrusion but opened his eyes and looked at her with a slight droop in his eyelids from sleepiness. She was entranced by the shockingly blue color of his eyes and the soft smile she had never seen graced his face before. "Hinata-chan…," he said softly, further deepening her fugue.

The spell was broken by the sudden cocking of his head to the side, his countenance instantly digressing into its usual appearance.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" she asked alarmingly.

He looked at her while maintaining his concerned expression. "We need to get out," he said before standing up and hopping out of the water.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it," he said firmly, throwing on his clothes.

"Okay," she said, stepping out awkwardly as she tried to cover herself. "Just let me dry off."

"No time," he said, pulling her out by her arm and the drain's plug at the same time. "Hold still." The fox's chakra poured out, covering the room in an intense dry heat that dried everything in a flash.

"Thank you," she said softly, a red tint extending down her neck, but Naruto had already disappeared into the other room. As she dressed she couldn't help but feel nervous about Naruto's behavior. She activated her byakugan and scanned as far as she could. She felt a mixture of alarm and elation at the sight of her father approaching, with the Hokage and two Hyūga guards in tow. She fought down a giggle that threatened to erupt and quickly finished dressing, moving into Naruto's room. Naruto, however, appeared anything but happy. He had the same concerned look on his face as he watched the door intently and was clenching his hands every few seconds.

"Naruto, my father's coming!" Hinata said excitedly, seemingly oblivious to his current state of unease, "I'm sure he's coming to release from here."

Naruto turned to her with a look of unease, a look that for some reason filled her with a sense of dread. "I'm sure he's coming for one of us."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto opened his mouth, but before he could say anything the door burst open and he dropped into a defensive stance. He stretched one arm out to block the path between Hinata and the door, a fact not unnoticed by Hiashi and Tsunade.

"Father!" Hinata said with a smile, advancing up to Naruto's arm. "You've finally come"

Hiashi took in the state of his daughter, with her disheveled clothes and still damp hair. "It would appear just in time."

"Naruto," Tsunade started, "you've gone too far this time. You knew who she was." Her voice had a stern tone in it, but she looked as uneasy as the Hyūga guards accompanying Hiashi.

"So what, baa-chan?" Naruto said with his voice thick with sarcasm. By now Hinata had picked on the heavy tension in the room and was beginning to share in the uneasiness.

Hiashi regarded Naruto coolly before turning his attention to Hinata, "Come Hinata, we're leaving." He turned his attention back to Naruto, "Don't move, demon-boy, or we will subdue you."

Hinata looked form Naruto to her father, her eyes widening in alarm, "What's going on? Isn't Naruto coming with us?"

The Hyūga head managed a look of horrified shock at the question, "Of course not. He belongs in here forever."

"I'm not leaving without him!" she yelled, shocked at the turn of events.

Hiashi regarded his daughter with a cold glare. "You are coming now." he said slowly, fury dripping from his mouth.

Hinata felt the familiar fear surface in her gut. She hung her head and began to walk forward but met the unyielding resistance of Naruto's forearm. "Naruto-kun," she said softly, a mixture of pleading and sadness in her voice.

"I don't think she wants to go," Naruto growled, a small smirk on his face.

Hinata raised her head to stare at Naruto in amazement. No one had ever defied her father before, and the action of such was anathema to her.

There was a tense moment of Hiashi and Naruto staring at each other, Naruto's a look of gleeful defiance and Hiashi's of seething anger. The silence was broken by Tsuande. "Naruto, stand down," she said, summoning all of her authority into her voice but did little to stem the feelings of violence permeating the atmosphere.

Unknown to Hinata, Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he crouched further down in preparation of attacking. The Hyūga head, however, was privy to his intentions and reached Naruto before he could act, slamming his palms into Naruto's chest and stomach. The powerful attack threw Naruto back and knocked down Hinata in the process.

Hinata quickly rolled over to look at Naruto lying against the wall, grimacing in pain. "Naruto!" she cried, crawling over to him. She was halfway to him when she felt two fingers touch the back of her neck and was greeted with darkness.

Hiashi removed his hand from the back of his daughter's neck and met Naruto's gaze with his own. "Your fun time is over fox boy," said Hiashi with disdain.

"More fun than you know," said Naruto through his grimace. He then summoned his strength to spit in the Hyūga's direction. Hiashi face contorted before he rushed forward again, slamming the palm of his hand into Naruto's forehead, knocking him unconscious.

"That's enough, Hiashi," Tsunade said quietly, holding the man's arm back from striking again.

Hiashi straightened himself making it look as if it was his own intention to stop the attack. He spun around and strode out of the room with Hinata being carried behind him by the branch members he had brought. Tsunade looked at Naruto before sighing and shaking her head.

----------

Naruto awoke to the sight of Tsunade standing at his feet. He moved to sit up from his position to find that his hands and feet were bound with steel chains affixed to the corners of a steel examining table. Tsunade stern glare and drawn lips were an indication that he was in for a long confinement. He greeted with a smiling, "Ohayō, baa-chan."

Her first response was to knit her brow in frustration, "Don't even try me Naruto. You're in big enough trouble as it is." She began pacing the room with her hands held behind her back. "Do you know how much power the Hyūgas yield? They could crush you for thinking you were attempting to corrupt their heiress."

"She appeared corrupted," he bit off the last word with contempt, "before I even met her."

"You know what I mean! I give you leeway with the other patients so that you don't get bored, but this was going too far."

"I don't give a shit," he said quietly. "Where is she?"

Tsunade sighed again, "Hiashi took her away, and she won't be coming back."

Naruto accepted this information in silence without removing his eyes from the Hokage. After a moment of staring he turned to look at his restraints before tugging at them, "How long are these going to be here then?"

"Until I say so."

"Oh yeah? When will that be?"

"When I think you have that girl out of your thoughts," she said with finality.

He snapped his head to face her, seemingly shocked at her challenge. "Is that how it's going to be…?" he said quietly while lying his head down and closing his eyes.

Tsunade stayed a moment longer before leaving the room and two ANBU entered the room to occupy the corners nearest the door.

----------

Hyūga Hiashi stood outside a hidden room on the Hyūga compound, listening as his daughter sobbed softly inside.

"What are your plans Hiashi-sama?" asked one of the elders of the clan, casting dirty looks at the door with every sound issued.

The man followed the clan leader as he climbed a flight of stairs, emerging from a nondescript wall in a hallway within the complex. "I will fix this problem soon, as I should have done before."

"How do you intend to do that?"

"I have not decided yet. Perhaps a Yamanaka will be able to," he paused, as if searching for the word, "…realign her personality."

The other man's face twisted into a sour expression at the idea. "I have heard of such things. And the consequences the mind must pay."

"Anything her mind becomes would be better than what is there now. As long as her body is still healthy…," Hiashi silenced himself as his nephew, Neji, walked by. The boy's attitude had taken a sour turn at the return of Hinata, but Hiashi was sure Neji would still obey him when the time came. When the young man had passed Hiashi continued, "She will still have her uses. I can only hope that contact with the kyūbi boy hasn't done anything to her."

The two men walked silently along the corridor as night descended on the village.

----------

Naruto observed the two men in his room coolly. It wasn't technically his room, but it was his as long as he was in it. He was unable to see there faces underneath their masks, but he could feel the unease emanating from them and the one on the right smelled of deep fear. He twitched the chain on that foot and the man jumped away slightly. Naruto smirked as the man on the left turned and looked at the other in silent reprimand before both became still again.

Naruto toyed with the idea of messing with the two men again before a sense of urgency overcame him. He had a feeling that that Hyūga man was going to do something to his Hinata and he would be damned before anybody messed with what was his. "Or who for that matter," he muttered aloud, ignoring the glances from his guests. He briefly mulled over his options before resigning himself to what he knew he would have to do from the beginning. He took a few deep breaths before closing his eyes.

And opening them within his subconscious was greeted by the sight of the dank sewers of his captive's prison. He walked deliberately down the darkened corridors, emerging before great golden gates that held the terror of Konoha behind them.

Naruto walked up to the bars with a smile, "Hey there big guy."

Kyūbi turned from his curled position and glared at the invader of his solitude. "What do you want, boy?" he bit off.

Naruto knocked on the cage lightly, a sound that rung loud in the barren landscape. "Aw, come on. Don't I deserve a better greeting than that?" he asked, leaning in between two of the bars. "I haven't bothered you in a while."

"Not long enough."

Naruto smile melted off his face, "Careful, before you make me angry."

Kyūbi lunged at Naruto, who hopped back from the demon. He looked nonplussed as if expecting the attack the whole time. "I should be the angry one! The indignities I suffer at the hands of a mortal are beneath anything I have ever been exposed to! I should rip you the shreds where you stand!"

Naruto observed this tantrum with a bored look, waiting for the giant fox to finish before speaking. "Yes," he started. His demeanor suddenly switched from bored to furious, "But you can't." Kyūbi took a step back as his cage retreated further, lessening the space of his prison. Naruto started stepping towards the bars again, "Don't forget who's the boss here. You tricked me before into thinking you could hurt me, but I learned. I control everything here, and you are my slave!"

Kyūbi winced and was silent for a while. "What did you come here for?" He hesitated a bit before adding grudgingly, "Master?"

Naruto smiled as if the whole argument had never happened, "I've decided to leave my home to get what is mine."

"That Hyūga vixen?"

Naruto paused at the term, but brushed it off, "Yes, and I need power to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I give you my power all the time. How much more do you need?"

Naruto turned to face the giant with a malicious grin on his face, "All I can handle."

Kyūbi nodded his head intending to watch the resulting carnage. It would be welcome entertainment after years of tormenting weak mental patients. Naruto's smile grew as the red chakra began to seep out of the cage and he disappeared from his deep mind. Kyūbi sighed and turned in his now smaller confines and resigned himself to observance.

Naruto opened his eyes in the real world and suppressed the influx of chakra into his system. He waited to see if the guards noticed anything, but they seemed none the wiser. He waited a minute for the chakra to build before taking action. In a flash he whipped his right arm, ripping the chain out of its fixture and wrapping it around the neck of the left guard. A quick snap and the guards head flew back to land with a wet lump against the wall behind him. The other guard stalled for a second, which was all the time Naruto needed to tear his other arm free and ram his lengthened claws through the man's throat and silence him forever.

With his guards gone he proceeded to free his legs and hands and hopped off the table. He grabbed his head and released a constrained growl as a wave of bloodlust rushed through his system with the demonic chakra. "No," he released through tightened teeth, "I need cunning, not carnage." He needed to stem the tide of bloodlust rushing through his system and eyed the two bodies in the room with a malicious glare.

----------

Naruto stepped from the examination room with blood and gore dripping from his claws. His clothes were stained so red they appeared black. He turned and walked down the hallways and out the front doors and into the cool night air of Konoha for the first time in over a decade.

Across town, Hinata turned her head and felt the air with her senses. Her heightened sensitivity to the world around her enabled her to detect the slight swelling of energy from the direction of the hospital. "Naruto-kun," she cooed softly.


	7. Chapter 6: Annihilation

Chapter 6: Annihilation

Naruto walked leisurely through Konoha's backstreets, reveling in the cool night air washing over his chakra heated skin. He briefly wondered at why he had never taken this liberty before, but quickly dismissed the notion as irrelevant. "I need to focus," he muttered to himself as he quickened his pace towards the more affluent side of town. Toward the Hyūga estate. Toward his Hinata. He broke into a light jog at the last thought.

"Halt!" a commanding voice issued from behind Naruto, causing the young man to stop dead in his tracks. "What is your business this late at night?" the voice asked.

Naruto slowly turned frowning head to the affix the two chunnin with a single blazing, annoyed eye.

The patrolling shinobis quickly dropped back into defensive stances, kunais drawn. "Uzumaki Naruto?" the second one said with worry.

The man in question smirked at the recognition and turned fully towards the pair, clawed hands flexing in anticipation. "You know my name. How flattering," he remarked in a mocking tone.

The first shinobi, the apparent leader of the two, turned slightly to the second. "Quick, alert the Hokage. I'll hold him here." The other nodded before jumping away. He stopped short, however, as a tendril of chakra extended form Naruto's back to ensnare the fleeing ninja.

"No, no, no," said Naruto, wagging his finger. "We can't have those kinds of distractions."

The suspended man slashed at the red energy smothering him, but his attacks were useless against the red tide of chakra. The first man looked on in horror as his partner was smothered. He finally turned towards Naruto to be met with the young man's malevolent grin as he manipulated the tail around the other man. "You bastard!" the patrolman shouted, launching himself at Naruto.

Naruto grabbed the man by the throat, stopping the assault short of it target. "Be patient," Naruto said, with the utmost calmness, "and watch." He turned the man towards his comrade as the chakra fully enveloped him. Naruto's extended senses could feel the man struggling against the tendril, and he was weakening. The man finally went limp as his air supply was extinguished and Naruto him dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

"Y-you fucking bastard," the remaining man spat out, gasping around the hand at his throat.

Naruto frowned in a disappointed manner. "That wasn't nice. You should be more respectful!" he shouted, throwing the man into the concrete with a sickening crunch. He was mildly impressed when the man sat up and spat out blood. In response he leapt to his side, the man's widened eyes following his movement. "Be sure you watch this," Naruto said, crouching sideways on the wall, "cause it's the last thing you'll ever see."

The man's eyes widened as Naruto finished his crouch before launching himself. Naruto slashed with his hand at the man's throat, tearing half of it out as he finished his movement. The man's jugular vein and carotid arteries sprayed blood against the far wall of the alley be fore he himself slumped over, lifeless. Naruto stood up, shaking his hand clean. He surveyed the scene with a careless glance.

"Well this is boring. It's no fun without an audience." With that, he continued his jog to the Hyūga compound, his adrenaline building at the carnage he was about to unleash upon any who stood in his way.

----------

Hyūga Hiashi was troubled, an occurrence that happened very rarely. He could feel uneasiness in the air, a feeling he knew from somewhere but couldn't plac. Not only that, but Hinata had changed within the hour. When he had gone to check on her, she had stopped crying (to his relief), but what met him was far more disturbing. She was wearing a small, patient smile and staring through the wall, sans byakugan. He had declined questioning her at the time, but left her there. His brow creased in worry.

"Are you alright, Hiashi-sama?" the guard in front of him asked, his byakugan running a scan and detecting the clan head's look.

"Un," was his terse reply, and he turned to go back inside and brood on the recent events in his life.

----------

Naruto watched the sentry through the bushes, the man's pearl eyes scanning the scene in front of him cautiously. He hadn't activated his byakugan yet, which Naruto was thankful for. He didn't know enough about it, but he knew it had something to do with vision. Suddenly the man looked straight at him, veins bulging on the side of his head. He opened his mouth to yell, but Naruto was quicker. He leapt from the bushes and clasped his hand over the man's mouth. He gave him a glare as he snapped the man's neck, killing the alarm in its infancy.

He let the man drop, but was startled to hear voices from all across the compound, warnings of an intruder. "Aw, hell," he said to himself, clearly underestimating the power of this clan's abilities. He suddenly leapt into the air, somersaulting backwards over the two Hyūga warriors about to attack; they followed his movements and turned to face him. They launched simultaneous attacks, but Naruto grabbed their forearms and flung them over his shoulders onto the tiled roof of the compound walls. He picked them up again and swung them in a large arc before tossing them to the group of advancing attackers. The ones who avoided the attack were met the fury filled eyes of a demon in human form raining down on them with tooth and claw.

After that was done, he looked over his work. "Hmmm," he said aloud, "this will take to long if I just use taijutsu…" He turned to the nearest building with a manic grin, his hands flashing through seals ending in the tiger mark. "Alright, you damn fox. Time to turn theory into practice." He inhaled a deep breath, and exhaled, "Katon: shouidan!" A small ball of fire the size of his head erupted from his mouth and crashed through the building, causing minimal damage. The surprised screams of inhabitants were Naruto's only reward as he regarded his work with disappointment. He suddenly felt an intense heat rush over him and wind whip his hair around as the building in front of him and the one behind it erupted in conflagration, consuming everything within. Naruto crouched for a minute, braced against the powerful blast. When no one emerged from the domicile, he smiled to himself. "Hell yeah," he muttered to himself before running off to begin his search for Hinata.

----------

Hiashi was interrupted from his meditation by the massive explosion that shook the walls of the room he was in. He rushed to the door and slammed it open, watching as the clan ran around in panic outside, the sight of a large fire consuming the night sky to his right.

"H-Hiashi-sama!" a young man stumbled to a stop in front of him, surprise and fear etched on his face.

"What is happening?" Hiashi demanded, emerging from the room and standing at his full, imposing height.

"It's the kyūbi boy! He attacking the compound!" the man replied before another explosion erupted across the grounds, then one bigger than the last. The man cast a pained look at Hiashi, and the clan leader waved his hand impatiently, sending the man on his way. A low growl issued from Hiashi's throat.

"Such displays of emotion are unbecoming, Hiashi-ji-sama," said a man leaning against a wooden pillar, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Neji," Hiashi half growled, continuing to face the flames. "Why aren't you helping to defend your clan?"

Neji shrugged, leaning forward to turn towards his father's murderer, "He doesn't want us, just her."

"Are you suggesting we give her up?"

"If that'll make him go away, then we can attack him again in full force," Neji reasoned.

Hiashi shook his head. "No. If you take care of this," he offered, turning towards his nephew, "you can have Hinata."

Neji's surprise was evident. "What do you mean?"

"Become the head of the clan, isn't that what you want?"

"But, your daughters," Neji stuttered, shocked at this turn of events.

"Are both dead, as far as I'm concerned," Hiashi said with finality. He sighed, hanging his head, "Neji, I'm sorry about your father. It should have been him in my place, and me in his."

Neji hardened at this comment, but pushed it to the bottom of his gut. "Yes, Hiashi-sama," he said, bowing at the waist, "I will accept your offer." He leapt away, planning to turn all his rage on the demon running amok in this compound.

Hiashi frowned after his nephew, for the first time ever truly doubting the boy's ability against an opponent. He could see the maelstrom of chakra in that direction, a crimson torrent in the middle of a sea of blue forms falling like so many leaves in the wind. His family, falling. Hyūga Hiashi clenched and walked towards the holding cell. If Neji himself failed, maybe his plan wouldn't.

----------

"Is this a clan of cowards, with no more to face me?" Naruto screamed into the sky, to be answered by the rush of bodies from around a burning building. The firelight cast long shadows everywhere and shined off the blood running down his body. He smiled at the thought that none of it was his own. He dropped into an offensive stance low to the ground in preparation of the attack. The twenty or so men, however, stood back and one stepped forward, a tall youth with a bandage around his head and a cold, proud stare prepared for Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto, I am Hyūga Neji and you will fall to my gentle fist," was his challenge, as he dropped into a textbook jyūken stance.

Naruto started slightly, remembering the name. For the first time since his attack began, he felt anger replace the joy and revelry he had been experiencing. It was a cold, deep fury that wanted to be drenched in the warm release of violence against it progenitor. Naruto glared at the boy and his crazed smile disappeared into a small frown.

Neji suddenly rushed, momentarily surprising Naruto with his speed. Naruto barely dodged the attack of Neji outstretched hand, all too well aware of the damage of even a passing blow from this family. Neji reacted quickly by rotating his leading foot and striking again at Naruto's chest over and over again. Naruto dodged the attacks, sometimes jumping over the Hyūga prodigy to avoid being pushed into a flaming building. By now, Neji was becoming annoyed. No one had stood this long without suffering even a single hit. He finally connected with Naruto's shoulder, but his victory was short lived as a clawed hand cut into his wrist as it wrapped around the appendage.

"Hinata's told me about you," the blonde man said quietly, his eyes cast downwards. His hair cast a shadow down to his nose, revealing only the same small frown he had entered the battle with.

Neji hid his worry with a smirk, "Oh yeah? Whatever happened to her, she deserved, just like all the main house bastards!" Neji kept his voice down so that only he and Naruto could hear. He attempted to pull his hand back, but his arm was held fast by Naruto's hand.

Naruto raised a fist and brought it down on Neji's temple, stunning the other man into kneeling down. Naruto flashed through hand seals before placing his hands on the ground slowly, "Doton: chinka." His quiet utterance and influx of chakra cause the ground to bubble around Neji and swallow him up to his neck before he could regain his senses. Naruto stood up, looking down without emotion, "You will now watch patiently as I kill your clan and destroy any dreams you may have had, before I kill you." Naruto turned away, walking towards the now terrified Hyūgas standing in his way.

"Like hell I will!" Neji shouted, struggling against the earth prison entrapping him.

Naruto turned his head while walking away. "Oh yes, you will" he said before grinning. "Consider it fate."

Neji visibly reddened at this remark. "Kaiten!"

Naruto met with a shower of earth and turned to see Neji standing at the edge of a large crater where he had been imprisoned, his hands in attack position. "Oh, you got out?" he remarked, amused.

"Hakke kūshō!" Neji shouted, extending a hand to Naruto. Naruto turned towards him, but was met with a pressure against his chest that propelled him back to crash against a building with a grunt. Neji disappeared for a second to appear about a meter from him. He dropped into a stance Naruto had yet to see, leaning on his back leg he extended his arms down from his front leg to back and behind him, "You will now die within my eight trigrams." He lunged forward before Naruto could recover from the previous attack, "Hakke rokujūyon shō!" The onslaught of attacks struck a defenseless Naruto across all parts of his body, concentrating in his torso region. He could do nothing but buck and shiver in response to the myriad of attacks laid upon him, culminating in a final strike against his heart. He fell forward, suspended by Neji's hand. "No one can stand against the strongest clan in the world," Neji issued before withdrawing his hand. He was surprised to find Naruto's hand clasped firmly around his wrist, a reenactment of their earlier encounter. "I-Impossible!" Neji stammered, horror etched across his face. "You should be dead!"

"Well then, that makes two wrong remarks within one minute. That's makes you one of the stupidest people I know," Naruto said, raising his head to meet Neji with an amused smile and blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. He acted, lifting Neji into the air with his arm and crashing him into the ground. He kept his hand on Neji's wrist as he wiped the smear of blood from his mouth, "You seem to be in need of an education. Perhaps in humility?" Naruto's voice was light as he asked this. Neji glared at him in response. "You seem to take great pride in you arms," Naruto continued, twisting the aforementioned appendage lightly, as if examining it. "Perhaps I should rid you of such a distraction?" Neji eyes widened as Naruto placed his foot against the downed man's shoulder and twisted, completely dislocating the arm from its joint and dropping it to bang uselessly against the ground.

Neji screamed in pain and tried to push away from where Naruto was, but the other man grabbed his leg before he could move far. "Oh no you don't, I still have a present from Hinata," he growled viciously. He swung Neji over his body, crashing him into the ground again. He proceeded to turn Neji into a rag doll, bashing him against the ground, pillars, anything and everything within range. He ended with launching Neji into a building so that he skidded to a stop in the middle of a large common room. Neji stood shakily to his feet, clutching his destroyed arm with the other. He was also heavily favoring the leg used to swing him around.

Naruto surveyed the man with a cold glance. "You cannot do this!" Neji yelled in anger, baring his teeth at the other man. "You are nothing but trash, a demon! It's is your fate to suffer!"

"Yes it is," Naruto said in a monotone voice, contradictory to his warming anger at the young man. "And I have. I'm just taking what's due to me." He flashed through hand seals, ending with has hands crossed over each other across his chest. "You showed me an air attack earlier. Let me show you mine." He flung his arms outwards in a long arc, his hands chopping the air laterally in front of him, "Fūton: kamisori!"

Neji braced himself but merely felt a light breeze brush around him. He lowered his arm, smirking at Naruto, "Is that all you have? I knew you were a loser."

Naruto responded by launching a flying kick at Neji's chest, blowing the man back to crash through a wall. During the flight, Neji felt something odd and opened his eyes to survey his surroundings. He saw Naruto standing where he had been, a triumphant look on his face. Behind him on the ground, lay Neji's crumpling lower half. He blacked out before he hit the ground.

Naruto emerged from the building, giving it a light push backwards around the door frame. The whole building split in half and crumbled backwards, its top half toppling over. He was delighted in the observation that the height of the lower was at just about Neji's waist. He surveyed the rest of the scene, taking note of the decapitated men that had come with Neji. He hadn't had time to aim both his right arm at his opponent and his left at the other men, so he had just launched it haphazardly. "Worked though," he remarked, leaping over the fallen bodies to continue his search.

----------

Hyūga Hiashi unlocked the door, revealing his daughter. She had a small smile on her face despite the chaos erupting around her. "Come, Hinata," Hiashi commanded, standing aside for her to walk in front of him through the door.

She gave him a quizzical look as she stood up, "Where are we going, father?" She walked through the door, climbing the stairs to the air above.

Hiashi followed after her, "Naruto is here."

Hiashi could see her face light up front behind her. "He's come to visit?" she asked, turning slightly. When he didn't answer she turned back. Her smiled remained, however, as she hummed a small tune to herself. She also seemed to develop a slight skip as she climbed the stairs, a note which Hiashi took with disgust.

They emerged aboveground to a scene that shocked the younger Hyūga and further surprised the elder. The entire Hyūga estate was engulfed in fire, the light issued equivalent to midday sunlight. They espied the pyrotechnic himself standing across the courtyard, his eye trained on the pair emerging from the wall. "Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, and moved towards him. Her father caught her arm and held her close, causing her to look back at him with a confused look, "Father, what are you doing?"

Her father ignored her and focused on the man in front of him, "Why have you done this?"

Naruto straightened up, pointing a clawed finger at Hinata, "To get her back."

Hinata beamed at this statement, but Hiashi scowled. "You would kill an entire clan for one person?"

Naruto shrugged with an indifferent look on his face. "We get along," was his simple reply.

Hiashi creased his brow, "Allow me to remove your focus on my clan." He raised his hand, palm open.

Naruto reached out, "Hinata, watch out!"

At his words Hinata reacted, striking her father's arm holding her and scrambling away. She stared in fear at her father. "Gomen, father!" she stammered. Hiashi had no time to react as Naruto struck, flashing behind the man and slicing his Achilles tendons, causing him to fall forward onto the ground. "Naruto, no!" Hinata exclaimed.

Hiashi ignored her and focused on the man now standing near her, "I will kill you for everything you have done to my family!" Naruto had no reaction to this statement, but Hinata's was more than evident. She went from a shocked expression to launching herself towards her father, striking him the middle of his stomach. He took a pained breath and turned his attention on her.

Hinata had tears in her yes as she pulled her hands against her chest, "Why father? I just want us all to be happy together," she pleaded, extending a hand towards him.

He coughed blood onto the ground, slapping her hand away. He looked up her with anger seething in his gaze, "I hate you. You have been nothing but a disappointment to me and this clan."

Her face went through a gamut of emotions, beginning with hurt and ending with fury. With a scream she slammed her palm into his head, obliterating his brain with her chakra infused attack. Hiashi fell backwards, his eyes glassed over as his life slipped away. "Why!?!" Hinata yelled, oblivious to his state as she launched a full attack on his face and head, sending jyūken strike after strike against the dead man.

Naruto crouched on his haunches, watching as she vented all her pent up frustration and fury on the former most important man in her life. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

----------

"Tsunade-sama!" a woman shouted, waking the Hokage from her slumber.

She bolted up, annoyance evident on her face. "What is it?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"It's Naruto, Hokage-sama!"

She awoke fully. "Naruto? What happened?" she asked, bolting from bed to stand before the young kunoichi before her.

"He's escaped, and is attacking the Hyūga compound," she stammered, fearful of the look emerging in Tsunade's eyes.

Tsunade walked form the room, "Summon all jōnin and deploy the ANBU. This is a double s-classed emergency." She rushed to the Hokage tower, planning to end this threat once and for all.

----------

Naruto continued watching the former Hyūga Heiress as she continued to lay blow after blow on her father. His face was now an unrecognizable pulp, and her arms were less striking as falling against him. She panted and gasped with each blow, running on pure adrenaline. She finally stopped and Naruto walked over to her, crouching down behind the young woman. He placed a hand on her shoulder which she shied away from at first but then leaned onto.

"We need to go," he said, more gently than he was used to.

"Why couldn't he be proud of me?" she asked, almost to no one.

Naruto shook his head, "I don't know." He stood up waiting for her to follow, "But we need to go before the other ninjas arrive."

She nodded absently and tried to stand up. She fell over, collapsing from chakra and mental exhaustion. Naruto groaned in annoyance as he leaned over and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. She blushed at the intimate contact. "N-Naruto-kun," she said softly, clutching onto his shirt. He smiled rakishly at her before leaping away, into the woods away from Konoha.

----------

Tsunade surveyed the scene around her, the horror and mayhem that was left of the Hyūga compound. "Are there any survivors?" she asked the ANBU captain next her.

"No, Hokage-sama."

"What of Hiashi?"

The man shifted uncomfortably, "We think we may have found him, but his face is beyond recognition."

Tsunade grimaced, "Naruto and Hinata?"

"Both missing Hokage-sama, but we are pursuing them as we speak."

She nodded absently, watching as a parade of body bags proceeded past her to the village.

----------

Naruto jumped through the trees, confident in their escape now that their pursuing party had been eliminated. They had taken him by surprise, but were no match even he was in the waning stages of the Kyūbi's chakra.

"Are they going to capture us Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, still huddled against his chest.

"No, I'll make sure of it."

After another minute she spoke again, "Are we ever going back?"

He stopped and looked down at her. She turned to face him. "Maybe not for a long time, but don't worry," he said, smiling at her as the last of the chakra left his body, turning his eyes blue again, "I'll protect you."

She blushed at the look he gave and smiled at him. "I know," she replied, snuggling into his chest as sleep overtook her.

Once he was sure she was asleep, Naruto stared at her face a moment longer before leaning down and kissing her softly on the lips. She smiled more and dug deeper into his chest. He shook himself of the moment and leapt away, never looking back.

The End

A/N: There will be an epilogue to wrap up things, so please wait a little while longer.


	8. Epilogue: Homecomings

Epilogue: Homecomings

A/N: The finale dedicated to my girlfriend, Janet. (If anyone is associated with mental illness, it would be her…)

Godaime Hokage Tsunade held her head in her hand, eyes closed as she mentally calculated Konohagakure's current state. Within the past twenty years, its two greatest clans and bloodlines had been eradicated, both by the two eldest members of the main families. She smiled grimly at the correlation between the two incidents. It had been three years since Naruto and Hinata had disappeared, the death of the entire Hyūga clan in their wake. Things seem to go downhill for Tsunade after that. She reached into the drawer of her desk for a bottle of sake and poured a cup, downing the burning liquid in a single gulp. Their foreign relations had been slowly waning over the years as well. The remaining relations with Kumo were completely cut off two years ago, and Iwa had followed soon after. The rebuilding talks with Suna suddenly stopped with the appointment of a new Kazekage after that, and Kiri was currently in a state of rebellion. Or so she thought. The information from that region had stopped coming in not too long ago.

"This is why I wanted to stay away," she said aloud, standing up to stare out the window. The village at least had a semblance of peace. There wasn't a sound in the town as the streets were empty. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where is everybody?" she muttered aloud, scanning the streets closely. A figure dashed into a building, but her trained eyes were able to catch a glimpse of the Kumo symbol on the headband. She gasped turning towards her door with a loud, "Shizune!"

She turned completely and gasped at the sight of the figure in her doorway. "You won't be seeing her anytime soon," said the figure bedecked in robes similar to her own and wearing the hat of the Raikage. She thought she recognized the voice, but remained silent. She watched the figure as he sauntered into the room and stood before her desk. He raised his head, revealing his face. "Good to see you again, Granny."

She glared at the man before her, "Uzumaki Naruto! What are you doing here?" She prepped her chakra in preparation of an attack and balled her fist in a threatening manner.

Naruto held up his hands in a placating manner, "Now, now Tsunade. I don't causing any collateral damage. I know how you fight," he said with small smirk. "I wouldn't want you to hurt my wife," he said, stepping aside and eyeing the door.

Tsunade briefly considered attacking while his attention was diverted, but the voice emanating from the hallway distracted her. "Hurry up, Sasuke-kun. Naruto's waiting." Tsunade waited with trepidation as two people rounded the corner into her office. She quickly recognized Hyūga Hinata as she entered the room and the evidence of her distended abdomen immediately clued Tsunade into the fact that she pregnant, approximately seven months if her medic-nin abilities were to be trusted. The figure walking with her surprised Tsunade more however.

"Here you are, Hinata-hime," said Uchiha Sasuke, remaining member of the Uchiha clan. He held her elbow as she sat in one of the chairs in Tsunade's office. All thoughts of attacking Naruto left her head as the renegade ninja finally focused on her, his face betraying no emotion as he watched her.

"Uchiha Sasuke? What are you doing here?" the Hokage asked, shock evident in her voice.

Sasuke turned towards Naruto a moment before returning his attention back to Tsunade. "I joined Naruto after he killed Orochimaru," he replied, showing that he felt no further explanation was needed.

Naruto smiled at her expression for a moment before he began speaking, "I can see that you are surprised, so I'll try to explain things to you." He moved behind Hinata and placed his hand on her shoulder. She leaned her head onto his hand with a small smile before he began reciting his tale. "I knew of Kumo's want for the byakugan. With Hinata it was easy to gain an audience with the," he smiled wickedly, "former Raikage. He was easily dealt with and I took his throne. Kumogakure is different from Konoha, more suited to me. They respect pure power and battle prowess and it was easy to make everyone respect me." He punctuated his statement with a show of his clawed hand curled in front of his face.

"Naruto-kun was finally where he deserved to be," Hinata finally spoke up. The cold stare she gave Tsunade sent chills down the sannin's spine.

Naruto chuckled, "Indeed. I then focused my attention on gaining allies with Iwa and Suna, whether they wanted it or not. Iwa put up a minor resistance, but the display of power of demonic jutsus and the opportunity to exact revenge on Konoha quelled most of their resistance." He shrugged, "I didn't want to destroy them, just make sure they knew who was in charge."

Tsunade listened in horror, all the foreign events of the past year coming to light. Everything seemed to be traced back to this man.

Naruto seemed to ignore her as he walked to stand behind Sasuke. "Sasuke joined when I had to step on a bug. Or a snake in this case. Orochimaru had been targeting Konoha again for years, ever since his defeat all those years ago. I wanted Konoha, so I took him out myself before he could do anything. You should really thank me," he said. The look Tsunade gave him delighted him to no end. "Sasuke had a lot of information on Akatsuki, and I started on them next. First I went to Suna for another hidden village conquering campaign. Except, it was easier than ever. Turned out the next Kazekage in line was just like me, only weaker. He readily pledged allegiance to me. I then went after Akatsuki. With the power of three countries' ninjas behind me and multiple jinchūrikis, they were easily disposed of."

"You defeated the entire organization?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

Naruto shrugged dismissively again. "I may have led the attack, but I only personally killed five. Sasuke here killed Itachi, as was his only request for serving me." He started pacing around the room before continuing his narrative, "Afterwards, I set my sights on Kirigakure. An island country, it proved to be difficult to invade. But after an initial incursion and sparking of internal turmoil it feel easily to my combined might. And then I came here." He now stood in front of the window, peering into the streets below. Tsunade followed his gaze. In the streets various shinobi from the other villages were herding the citizens into the outside with their hands tied behind their backs. She also saw various Konoha ninjas' bodies being pile din the center of intersections. She felt a tear escape her eye before white hot fury engulfed her.

She attacked, lunging at Naruto as his back was turned. She barely got within a foot of him when a force on her chest stopped her approach. She looked down and saw the remnants of lightning enhanced chakra dissipate from the gloved hand emerging from her chest. Snakes sprouted from the wrist and bit her. Naruto finally turned towards her as the heat of the poison spread throughout her body. "So violent Tsunade," were the last words she heard before she slipped into darkness.

Sasuke removed his arm as her lifeless body crumbled to the floor. Naruto looked at it dispassionately before he sniffed and whistled sharply. Instantly, two Kumo-nins appeared and removed the body without a command. Naruto picked up the Hokage's hat and placed it on Sasuke's head before walking towards the door. Sasuke was mildly surprised but hid it quickly beneath the shadow of the hat.

"Sasuke-kun," a voice sung out behind him. "Help me up please." Sasuke hurried to Hinata's side and lifted her carefully out of her seat. "Thank you Sasuke-kun," she said, planting a small kiss on his cheek. He tried to hide his blush as she walked to Naruto and wrapped her arm in his. Naruto flashed a smirk before turning to walk away with his wife. "I'm hungry Naruto-kun," she said, and Naruto laughed out loud before telling her where he knew to get some great ramen.

Sasuke stood in the empty office, fingering the hat on his head. After a minute he removed the hat and placed it on the desk. He opened a file cabinet and removed the files of the shinobis of the village. He quickly separated it into two piles before placing the larger of the two on the floor and began reading the folders of the smaller one, separating into two further piles. He had a clan to rebuild, and only strong kunoichis would suffice.

End


End file.
